[CreativeNerdSam]

Hello all,

Ive just been having a bit of an debate with a colleague of mine about what RIMs new CEO should do in terms of the Playbook. My colleague is a big apple fan however bought a playbook alongside his iPad (no im not too sure why either).

That said his argument was that they should release a new OS version for the playbook and leave it to become an old unsupported device and concentrate on their handsets.

I argued against this saying that the playbook should be developed further and made into a competitor against the likes of apple, i simply got laughed at. What are your particular thoughts and what would your first instruction would you give to the development or management teams working on the Playbook.

Cheers

[silversun10]

RIM has to execute, they came out with an outstanding Playbook and they left it half finished.
RIM has to perfect their execution in all areas relevant to their business, for starters

[profspeedo]

I think (or at least hope) that as the new CEO, something drastic (in a good sense) is gonna come down the pike soon. This is just to prove to others that he is the man for the job.

[BrizzadMan]

Dropping the Playbook makes no sense, considering how it translates to BB10. Focus should be on handsets, I don't disagree - though one should realize QNX will cross these platforms. Continued efforts on PlayBook will benefit upcoming BB10 phones.

[mjs416]

I dont believe support and man power for the PB and BB handhelds is an either/or scenario. There's no reason that development for the PB has to suffer in order for development to continue on the handhelds (if that was the case they had no right getting into the tablet market to begin with).

If I were them I'd get OS 2.0 out as quickly as possible without sacrificing QA/QC. Then focus on getting some of the heavy hitters to get app's going for it - Skype, Netflix, etc. even to the point of subsidizing some of the development to help encourage them. Thats really all that is preventing the tablet from being better embraced.

Then... market - market - market! Get people to recognize the benefits of the tablet and try and get them into businesses.

[KD4AO]

Find and hire or promote a Geat Marketing VP with a strong engineering background and turn him/her loose.

[barkomatic]

Whether they drop the Playbook or not, RIM cannot release unfinished products anymore and then promise to complete them at some future date. Not only does RIM need to release OS2 -- they need to follow that up with additional software revisions that bring exciting new features on at least a yearly basis.

The hardware needs to be remain competitive and at a good price. Until RIM adds features that makes gives the Playbook an edge over the iPad then in the meantime the price needs to be much cheaper. Maybe not quite as cheap as it is now, but at least $200 cheaper than the comparable iPad model.

[anon(3896606)]

I would make BB10 PERFECT, and release O.S 2.0 for Playbook February 1st!

[gladiatorofyale]

lot of complains for the pb .
pb is awesone and the 2.0 will be even awesomer.
they should concentrate on the pb and the handset.
id choose pb over ipad anytime.if ur friend like iphone. just let him .
i have many friends on iphone. doesnt bother me at all .
some of u seem to forget that the PB is still VERY YOUNG .
GIVE IT TIME.
and also give the new ceo time too.

[cntrydncr223]

I would make BB10 PERFECT, and release O.S 2.0 for Playbook February 1st!

Perfect is an illusion. The truth is, no one is perfect, and BB10 won't be either.

As soon as it's released there will be thousands of threads bashing RIM, what they forgot, how they failed, what they missed, and all manner of complaints. It's very tiresome. (go ahead, prove me wrong, I double dog dare ya!! It would be a refreshing change...)

"You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time." ~ common variation of Abe Lincoln's famous phrase.

That said, and in answer to OP's quesiton, I, too, believe it's not an either/or question.

I would (if I were in charge), finish what was started, OS 2, native apps, hotspots, wifi, etc. Get on the BB10, get more developers to join the wagon, promote better, make prices reasonable for the end user (and probably a bunch of other stuff if I took more time to think about it), and fire anyone who couldn't see/woudn't support my vision.

But most of all, I'd use the product myself, exclusively, for a month or so. See how inconvenient it is to charge while in the journal case, or how the charger thingy's are inconveniently placed (ya, I get the double battery is balancing the weight, but those aren't the only 2 options). I think that's the best way to judge a product is by using it.

[walterloog1]

hmm, I don't think that a quick fix solves the problems RIM is facing, neither I believe that I have the solution, but I may fantasise a little I would do the following:

Realistically, Google and Apple already won the battle and RIM is not going to be a dominant player in terms of apps and market share. Wouldn't it be great if RIM transforms itself into a platform that is able to run IOS, Android, Windows 8 in some sort of a virtual environment? Would QNX be able to do that in the future? I that case, they can focus on their hardware and OS as a neutral platform running all the OS's of competitors they are now fighting against. This opens up the opportunity for businesses to use the Playbook regaregardless of their current enterprise environment. For consumers, they have all access to all the good stuff every participant has to offer! So they joint the competition, rather then fighting it out just like the rest. Realistic? No, but cool? Yes!!!!

[[email protected]]

My colleague is a big apple fan however bought a playbook alongside his iPad (no im not too sure why either).

OT - Some people like tech and don't feel they have to be loyal to one side or the other.

They want to be to enjoy all that's out there without feeling indebted, or having any personal attachment to manufacturers or their loyalists.

Some, many actually, are genuinely builthat.


On Topic: RIM need to erase the stigma that they are a product for the suit and tie crowd and work on becoming kinda cool.

They need to put a Sociologist on their B.o.D and figure how to reconnect with the consumer market.

Those who don't need to send encrypted emails about dinner, or what was on TV last night.

They need to remember that writers(like myself), artists, are always looking for new ways to use our devices and get consumers to come back to the brand.

Or,

They can stick with the focus on Enterprise. Until someone takes that away from them as well.

Cheers!

[nextlevel88]

I'd pull all development off of all projects, and put everyone on to one major project: Building a time machine. Then I'd go back and get it right the first time…

[mikeplus1]

I would make the PB bigger, thinner and whiter with way more apps.... wait, nevermind...

[klinton]

Sort out three vital native apps tasks:

1. PDF Reader - adobe product is a joke - need search, bookmarks, annotations
2. Media - Netflix, Kindle, Skype
3. Medical - Medscape, Skyscape, Merck

K

[eric89074]

I would release OS2 to at least give basic features that were promised when the PB was first released. Then discontinue it and fire sale them at $99.00. The PB is a failure and they just can't move any unless they sell them for $199.00 or less and they still can't even sell out of them at that price.

[anon(3896606)]

Perfect is an illusion. The truth is, no one is perfect, and BB10 won't be either.

Okay, I will rephrase it for you... I will make BB10 the best we can so it is at least it can be a competitor against Apple and Android...

[kmcobra64]

1) Make sure native email works with the NOC
2) Morph BlackBerry protect into a "cloud" where you can sync all of your devices. Allow it to even sync large collections of music (sync, not store. Data would be local)
3) Set up the "cloud" so that it acts as your main hub and notifications of incoming messages are pushed to all devices from there.
4) Market the out of new devices. Don't let people take a without seeing a new BB10 phone and what it can do.
5) In-house content. Blackberry needs a bookstore, music store, video store (on its way) and anything else they can think of. Items bought need to be accessible to all devices using the same BBID (using the aforementioned cloud). Access to content is what is currently killing blackberry.
6) Follow through on new tech. Be the first to come out with "BlackBerry NFC locks" for your home. Partner with automakers to allow you to use the BB to start your car etc ... Create a BBHome app that will allow control of items in your house (wi-fi enabled plug sockets that can be turned on/off via an app on your phone). BB is known for security so they can push that theirs is the only solution here.
7) oh I'm tired ... But you get the idea. Drive the industry forward. Integration is everything. Try to make a blackberry an intrgral part of your life. For payments, starting your car, using appliances in your home, watching TV. That's what people seem to want so give it to them.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Spencerdl]

Tablets are NOT going away, I would continue with the PlayBook (change name of course), and increase public knowledge with advertisement. OS2.0 is just the start of a very powerful QNX system, continue to improve the Blackberry tablet. IMO....its one of the best tablets available, it just wasn't advertised properly along with not being ready at release date, it got off to horrible start and never gained momentum due to all the problems with RIM.

[BoloMKXXVIII]

Perfect is an illusion. The truth is, no one is perfect, and BB10 won't be either.

As soon as it's released there will be thousands of threads bashing RIM, what they forgot, how they failed, what they missed, and all manner of complaints. It's very tiresome.

I think that's the best way to judge a product is by using it.

You are right that there is no "perfect" but if yours is the only platform missing some features common on all other platforms you should take another look before you release your product. Making the designers/engineers/execs use the product before shipping is a good idea. The Windows Phone 7 team did just that.

[npunk42]

I would release OS2 to at least give basic features that were promised when the PB was first released. Then discontinue it and fire sale them at $99.00. The PB is a failure and they just can't move any unless they sell them for $199.00 or less and they still can't even sell out of them at that price.

Click to view quoted image

When the basic features that were promised and implied are functional in the Playbook, it will be head and shoulders better than any of the other tablets. The price could and will be above 200.00. From there they will progress in making the BB10 phone with new and better features which will in turn inspire a newer tablet. No need to imitate the iJunk that is out there now.

[smithey1981]

Quite simple really bring 2.0 out and then develope it from there tablets are the way forward now for most business sectors. PB is so much better than iPad or android. The main problem is rim brought it out too soon without all the features which was an error on their part. Once 2.0 is out hit up advertising hard as I believe developers will produce more apps if there is a demand for them.

[cntrydncr223]

Okay, I will rephrase it for you... I will make BB10 the best we can so it is at least it can be a competitor against Apple and Android...

Agreed on the best we can. But with so many varying opinions, how will that be decided?
someone earlier posted there should be base medical apps. That's not for me.
Someone else posted netfilx should be a core app. That's not for me, either.
As I say, no matter what they do, someone will complain.

If we're going to be like apple and android, why try? If you want an ipad, don't buy a playbook. If all manufacturers attempted to be the same, we'd all be driving the same car, wearing the same clothes, using the same products. Variety is the spice of life.

Question: if they open it up to compete, use all the apps, have all the functionality, wouldn't it also open itself up to viruses, hackers and the like?

IMO, BB is a unique platform. Sure, it's target audience is the serious user, business user, and not the younger, hip crowd, but it wasn't meant to be.

[LoganSix]

The Playbook has great hardware and a solid OS supporting it. The problem is marketing and the initial release. If I was the CEO, I would focus on the BlackBerry/RIM life style. You show how your RIM devices make your life easier and it encourages people to get RIM accessories. The Playbook is just an accessory to the phone. RIM has already started down this road with the remote feature.

If anyone was in the chat this morning, they saw me talking about ANT and the possibilities of wearable computers. I think RIM can position itself well in this market. The BlackBerry is already considered a premium accessory, RIM just needs to add to the "life style experience" with the Playbook.

From a RIM to business perspective, they need to encourage development to integrate business needs with the Playbook and help companies untether themselves by using a tablet instead of a desk/laptop.

It is all about the proper marketing, which is why Apple can sell something without certain features as the better option.

[Daruba]

It's easy for us to talk where it went wrong and what we should have done to prevent whatever went wrong. I guess that the most of us (if not all) don't have the insight needed to make sound decisions.

Our "logical thinking" could be not so logical after all if we had all the knowledge about RIM and all what's related to it.

...but...to give you some kind of an answer still, I would reorganize the supervision of every single product of my company. I would make an effort not to have obvious flaws in my hard- and software. What go on the shelf must be "okay". If not, heads will roll.